Power outages have a way of revealing everything in your home that quietly depends on electricity. The obvious problem is darkness. Then your phone battery starts dropping. The Wi-Fi disappears. The refrigerator stops cooling. Your electric stove may stop working. Heating or air conditioning may disappear. Garage doors, elevators, well pumps or medical equipment may be affected.
A short outage can be inconvenient. A long one can become much more serious. The best time to discover what your household depends on is before the electricity stops.
First: Identify What Electricity Does for You
Walk through your home and make a list. What relies on electricity? Consider lighting, phone charging, internet equipment, refrigeration, cooking, heating, air conditioning, medical equipment, mobility devices, security systems, garage doors, well pumps, electric water heaters, elevators, and work equipment.
The Red Cross specifically recommends taking an inventory of personal and medical electrical needs before an outage and considering backup or non-powered alternatives. Your blackout plan should be built around functions, not gadgets.
1. Prepare Lighting First
Everyone in the household should know where emergency lighting is stored. At minimum, consider flashlights, headlamps, rechargeable lanterns, and spare batteries or charging options. Headlamps are particularly useful because they keep your hands free. Avoid making your smartphone flashlight your primary lighting plan — your phone's battery may be more valuable for communication.
2. Build a Phone-Charging Plan
Your smartphone can provide emergency alerts, communication, maps, weather information, a flashlight and important records — but only while the battery lasts. Consider a layered charging system: a fully charged phone, a charged portable power bank, vehicle charging, and solar or larger backup power where appropriate. The right system depends on how long you're preparing for and what else requires electricity.
Layered Phone-Charging Plan
3. Have Another Way to Receive Information
Your home internet may stop working during an outage. Cellular networks may also become congested or disrupted. Have a battery-powered or hand-crank radio capable of receiving relevant emergency information. Keep important phone numbers written down. Sign up for local emergency alerts before the emergency begins. Both Ready.gov and the Red Cross recommend alternative charging and communication options for outages.
Next: read our guide, Emergency Radio Guide: What Should You Look For?
4. Protect Refrigerated and Frozen Food
A power outage immediately starts a clock on temperature-sensitive food. According to current CDC guidance, if the doors stay closed, a refrigerator can keep food safe for up to about 4 hours, a full freezer can maintain safe temperatures for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours.
The simplest action during an outage: keep the doors closed. Before an outage, consider keeping appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer — CDC recommends refrigerator temperatures at 40°F or below and freezer temperatures at 0°F or below. Have coolers and frozen gel packs available if extended outages are a concern. And never taste questionable food to determine whether it is safe. When in doubt, throw it out.
5. Store Food That Doesn't Need Refrigeration
Your emergency-food plan shouldn't depend entirely on the refrigerator and freezer surviving. Maintain shelf-stable foods that can be eaten with minimal preparation: foods everyone eats, foods appropriate to dietary restrictions, a manual can opener if necessary, pet food, and infant supplies where needed. Think practically — a pantry containing foods your family dislikes isn't much of a preparedness plan.
6. Store Emergency Water
A power outage can sometimes affect water service, pumps or treatment systems. Maintain an emergency drinking-water reserve. CDC recommends at least one gallon per person per day for three days and trying to build toward two weeks where possible. If your home relies on an electric well pump, water planning becomes particularly important.
Your Power Outage Priorities
7. Think About Temperature
A summer outage and winter outage create different problems. For heat: know where you can go if your home becomes dangerously hot, maintain water, use safe ventilation where appropriate, and pay attention to official heat warnings. For cold: have blankets, warm layers, sleeping bags where appropriate, and a plan for relocating if the home becomes unsafe. Do not turn unsafe outdoor combustion equipment into improvised indoor heating.
Next: read our guide, How to Stay Warm During a Power Outage
8. Treat Generator Safety Seriously
Generators can be useful. They can also create lethal carbon-monoxide hazards if used incorrectly. Never use fuel-burning generators or other outdoor combustion equipment inside homes, garages or other enclosed areas. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and current safety guidance. If you're considering a permanent or portable home generator system, understand installation, fuel, electrical connection and carbon-monoxide safety before an outage.
9. Medical Needs Come Before Convenience
If someone in your household relies on powered medical equipment or refrigerated medicine, blackout planning is not simply about comfort. Develop a specific plan. Talk with relevant medical providers and equipment manufacturers about backup requirements. Identify evacuation or alternate-location options if the equipment cannot be supported safely at home. Keep a written contact list. The Red Cross specifically identifies powered medical devices and refrigerated medicine as needs that should be considered before an outage.
10. Keep Your Vehicle in the Plan
Your vehicle may provide temporary charging, transportation, and a way to reach a safer location. But don't wait until an outage is widespread to realize the tank is nearly empty. If severe weather is forecast, reasonable advance preparation can reduce last-minute problems. Never run a vehicle inside a closed garage for charging or heating purposes — carbon monoxide is dangerous.
Build a Blackout Box
One of the easiest ways to improve your preparedness is to keep your most important blackout supplies together: a lantern, headlamps, a radio, a power bank, charging cables, batteries, a printed contact list, and first-aid supplies. That avoids the classic blackout routine of using your last 14% of phone battery to search the house for a flashlight.
Practice Once
Turn off the lights intentionally for an evening. Don't disconnect anything critical. Simply test your plan. Can everyone find the flashlights? Is the radio charged? Does anyone know how to use it? Are your power banks actually charged? Can you locate important phone numbers? Is there a safe way to prepare food? One short practice session can expose weaknesses that a shopping list never will.
Your Power Outage Priorities
- Light
- Communication
- Phone charging
- Food and water
- Medical needs
- Safe temperature
- Larger backup power where necessary
Don't start with the biggest piece of equipment. Start with the most important function.